madeleine goes to italy

Perhaps I've been over-exposed to French recently (it's mid-way through term, I wouldn't be surprised) but it strikes me that Giulietta's Italian styles, with their simple bows, pretty belted skirts and white stockings, would suit her French counterpart perfectly well if Madeleine were to take a trip to Italy.

Allons en Italie ensemble, Madeleine?

mad as a hatter

Taking place on the eve of Valentine's Day, Marc Jacobs' collection certainly pre-empted the romance in a typically quirky way:

And as for the collection itself - I seem to be overly keen on Tim Burton comparisons at the moment, but surely the over-the-top hats merit a mention of the Mad Hatter in his 'Alice in Wonderland' film?

pretty woman

I had a lazy weekend watching 'Pretty Woman' with my boyfriend recently, and the memory of Vivian's stunning red dress that she wears to the opera has stayed with me ever since. So, when I went through the looks of Monique Lhuillier's Autumn/Winter Ready-to-Wear show, I couldn't help but fall in love with all the red gowns. Although they were shown in New York, a long way away from the San Francisco Opera House where Vivian and Edward watch the performance, I would quite happily wear any of these to a performance at the Met...

hankering for a handbag

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and I have fallen madly in love. With a handbag.

Or forty-six.

Miu Miu has produced, in its own words, "46 completely unique hand-made variations, forming a kaleidoscope of Miu Miu's stylistic expression in 17 different material combinations, using 12 special processing techniques", each dedicated to a different fashion capital. And my gosh, they're gorgeous.

On a Valentine's-related note, Blake Lively looked Blake Lovely at a Godiva Valentine's chocolate launch recently. Utterly irresistible - both the chocolates and the girl.

bridal bewilderment

Sophia Kokosalaki's debut bridal collection is gorgeous - beautifully light and simple. But I was taken aback by how miserable her models looked in the dresses - this is supposed to be the happiest day of your life, but these girls look ready to kill someone. Yes, they're models, not real-life brides, but a little less coldness might make the dresses a little more appealing to women looking to secure lifelong happiness wearing one of them, no?

I dread to think how the wedding album turned out...

Incidentally, whilst we're on the topic of wedding dress confusion, just how many times is Beyoncé getting married in the video for 'Best Thing I Never Had'? Because I'm pretty sure I counted at least two different dresses... (Maybe I'm just jealous.)



a ceremony of chic

The dark, Gothic style of the bridal veils on show at Jean Paul Gaultier reminded me of Tim Burton's 'Corpse Bride' film - there was something eerily alluring about the beautifully crafted, spooky styles which the construction of the film also captures. Not sure if I'll be getting married in any of these dresses in a hurry though - I'd rather opt for a more traditional frothy frock that Elie Saab, Dior and Valentino had to offer this week.

coral couture

Elie Saab's couture offering sent us under the sea to multi-coloured coral reefs, in mermaid dresses embellished to match the beauty of the underwater landscape.